Electrolysis of magnesium chloride fusions



March 5, 1946. w. c. GARDINER 2,396,171

ELECTRQLYSIS OF MAGNESI UM CHLORIDE FUSIONS Fi led June 11, 1942 INVENTOR 14mm 56 m? Y BY 7 M I m I ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 5, 1946 UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE ELEC'IBOLYSIS OF MAGNESIUK FUSIONS William 0. Gardiner, m..." Falls, a. Y., as-

slgnor to The Mathieeon' Alkali Works, New York, N. Y., a corporation oi Virginia Application June 11, 1942, Serial No. 440,558

1 Claim. (01. cor-7o) m invention relates to improvements in the recovery of chlorine in the electrolysis of magnesium chloride fusions, to produce magnesium metal, in which hydrous magnesium chloride is i introduced into the electrolyte in the presence of anodic chlorine.

Originally, the electrolytic production of magnesium from the fused chloride required the production oi anhydrous magnesium chloride as char-sins material. The anhydrous salt can be produced by chlorinating'magnesia in the pres-. ence of carbon, but large and low cost supplies oi masnesium chloride are also available as aqueous solutions or brines. .However, when hydrous salts crystallized from such solutions, MgCls.6HaO for example, are subjected to dehydration in any ordinary mannenthe salt tends to decompose with formation of magnesium oxide and hydrochloric acid,

To suppress such decomposition it was proposed. about twenty years ago, to introduce the hydrous make-up salt, dehydrated to a point short oi that at which such decomposition became serious, into the fused electrolyte in the vicinity of the anodes and thus .in the presence 85 oi the anodic chlorine initially liberated by the electrolysis and to include a small proportion of with respectto magnesium production and a railure with respect to chlorine production, chlorine being the concomitant product of the electrolysis.

The chlorine produced by the electrolysis oi the magnesium chloride iusion is liberated at the anode. When the hydrous salt is introduced into the fused electrolyte in the vicinity oi the anode.

- carbon with the salt so introduced. In practical 4 application, this proposal has proved eiiective separately collected in this manner also usually nesium hydroxide precipitated from sea water or other brine, some sort -oi balance may be approximated by using the gas mixture-escaping from theelectrolysis as the source of such hydrochloric acid, but when the chloride is available as such, for example by carbonation of slurries of mixed oxides produced by calcination of dolomitein calcium chloride liquors, the production of such gas mixtures imposes a serious economic burden on the overall operation, considered either as a problem of disposal or as a waste oi 9. Valuable material, chlorine.

' A substantial part of the chlorine initially liberated by the electrolysis can be recovered as such by introducing the hydrous salt into the fusion in the vicinity oi some but not all oi the anodes in a cell provided with a plurality-of anodes and separately collecting the gas mixture including water vapor and hydrochloric acid :iormed in the vicinity of such anodes ,and the chlorine liberated at the other anodes. However, some oi the magnesium chloride thus incorporated into the fusion remains as a basic magnesium chloride which reacts as the equivalent of water. Decomposition of such basic chloride in the region of electrolysis impairs the eiiiciency' of the operation, consumes magnesium chloride in formation of magnesium oxide and liberates hydrochloric acid which contaminates the chlo-. rine liberated by the electrolysis. Thus, chlorine contains some hydrochloric acid.

;I have, now devised an electrolysis to which make-up salt is supplied as hydrous magnesium the liberated water vapor reacts with the liberated chlorine, the prevailing temperature usually apgoximating IMP-850' 0., toiorm hydm orie aci The escaping gas mixture, in such practice,

thus contains hydrochloric acid and water vapor as well as chlorine plus air present either becauseof'leakage or because of introductionrto cool refractories, electrodes, etc., and the'concentrar tion at chlorine is-usually very low, irequently being but 1% or 2% and sometimes approaching sero. Thereccveryofthochlorine presentas such from such gasmixtureshsshitherto been impractical and the recovery as chlorine ofthat potentially available in the form oi hydrochloric acid has been uneconomic.

chloride, in which only aminor part oi the chicrine liberated by the electrolysis is consumed in suppressing decomposition of the magnesium chloride, and in which chlorine contaminated with hydrochloric acid produced by decomposition of basic magnesium chloride is segregated .from uncontaminated chlorine. The electrolysis and the recovery or chlorine as such'are thus improved, in eilleiency and in economy.

According to my invention, at least three segregated bodies of the magnesium chloride fusion. are subjected to electrolysis, the fusion is cyclically circulated through these several bodies, 1 the hydrous make-up magnesium chloride is in- When the production 0! masnesium chloride 'for the electrolysis involves the utilisation of hydrochloric acid, for example disssolve magl8 culating to the body into which the hydrous salt is introduced, and a' gas mixture containing less hydrochloric acid than the first mentioned gas mixture, hydrochloric acid produced by decom-v position of basic magnesium chloride, is taken ofi from an intermediate body through which the fusion is circulating from the body into which the hydrous salt is introduced-to the body from which a gas mixture consisting essentially of chlorine is taken off. Thus,.the gas mixture produced by the primary dehydration is separately collected, the chlorine substantially free from contamination is separately collected facilitating recovery, and the gas mixture comprising chlorine and contaminating hydrochloric acid is separately collected for appropriate special treatment. The number of segregated bodies in the cycle of circulation may number from three tosix or more for example. The hydrous mag-,

example the hydrous make-up salt can be introduced into the fusion in one body of a group of from three to six bodies. The decomposition of residual basic magnesium chloride will usually be substantially complete in the succeeding body,

or sometimes two bodies in larger groups, and a gas mixture consisting essentially of chlorine can q which may consist for example of about and II.

10%-50% by weight of MgCh and one-or more of the chlorides of sodium, potassium and calcium. This fusion may also include other salts. such as sodium' fluoride. This fusion may be maintained for example at a temperature of 700-800 C. Appropriate direct current potential,'about 6.0-8 volts for example, is impressed across the cathode and the several anodes collectively. As the electrolysis proceeds, liberatin chlorine at the several anodes and magnesium which collects as molten metal on the surface of the fusion outside of the. several bells, the make-up magnesium chloride required to replace that consumed in the electrolysis is introduced, for example, as the mono-hydrate or the dihydrate or some intermediate hydrate into the space within the bell 8 above the body of fusion in chamber i2 through connection 2|. The hydrous salt is not introduced into the bells 8, ll

80 the space within the bell. This chlorine is sufficient to-suppress substantial decomposition of the magnesium chloride thus undergoing dehydration. The gas mixture formed within bell 8 and taken off through connection}! contains be collected for direct recovery as such from the 85 water vapor and hydrochloric acid and carbon remaining bodies of the group. bodies of the fusion subjected to electrolysis may be arranged within a single subdivided cell or in a corresponding group of cells.

The invention will be further described in connection' with the accompanying drawing which illustrates one form of equipment appropriate for carrying out my invention. comprises a four-anode electrolytic cell shown in sectional plan in Fig. 1, and in sectional elevation in Fig. 2.

- The illustrated cell comprises a vessel 3 sub The several dioxide. Some of the magnesium chloride thus incorporated into the fusion, sometimes as much as 5% or more, of .the make-up magnesium chloride, is in the form of a basic magnesium chloride which reacts as the equivalent of water.

This equipment divided to hold the several bodies of the magnesium chloride fusion and serving as the cathode with respect to each of these bodies made up of formed and welded steel plate, a series of four anodes 4, 5, 6' and I, and a corresponding series Some of this basic magnesium chloride is decomposed in chamber [2, through reaction with liberated magnesium metal or with carbon of the anode or with carbon introduced-with the makeup salt, but some remains as a basic magnesium acid, in proportion less than that liberated in of bells 8, 9, l0 and II, made upiof appropriate refractories. In the illustrated cell segregated bodies of the fusion are maintained in the several chambers [2, I3, l4 and I5. Apertures l6, l1 and I8 and connection 20 are provided for efiecting circulation of the fusion from chamber I2 through chambers l3, l4 and I5 andback to" chamber I2; Connection 2| is provided for introducing hydrous magnesium chloride, which may contain a small proportion ofcarbon into the space within the bell 8 above the body of fusion in-chamber i2, and connections 22,23, 24 and 25 are provided for taking ofi the gas mixtures collected in the several bells above the several bodies of the fusion. Connection 20 opens into hell ll as indicated at l9, to utilize the levitating eifect of chlorine liberated adjacent anode I for maintaining, or assisting in maintaining, circulation in the cycle comprising the several bodies of fusion.

In carrying out my invention in the illustrated cell: the several chambers in the cathode-vessel 3 are charged with a magnesium chloride fusion chamber 12, which appears as a contaminant of the chlorine taken ofl from hell 9 through connection 23. The fusion circulating through chambers H and I5 is thus substantially free from water or its equivalent and as a consequence a gas mixture consisting essentially of chlorine is taken of! as such frombells l0 and II through connections 24 and 25.- Thus, a substantial part of the chlorine initially liberated by the electrolysis is collected, separately, for direct recovery as such, a minor part of the chlorine is consumed in suppressing decomposition of the hydrousmake-up magnesium chloride, and another minor but substantial part of the chlorine is collected, separately, contaminated with hydrochloric acid to but. a limited extent. Any small proportion of magnesium oxide formed collects as mud in the bottom of the several chambers in the vessel 3. This mud is removed from time to time byv conventional dredging. The magnesium metal liberated is removed from time to time through openings in the cell cover'26 oppo- The hydrous salt is with advantage in-. troduced into the hell 8 1n the form of pellets aseo,1n- 3' site the several connections 22, 23, 2i and II. These openings may also be used for dredging.

I claim:

In the electrolysis of magnesium chloride fusions to which magnesium chloride is supplied I as a hydrous salt, the improvement which comprises subjecting at least three segregated bodies of the fusion to electrolysis, circulating the fusion cyclically through the several bodies, introducing the hydrous salt into the fusion in the presence of the anodic chlorine liberated bythe electrolysis of one oi?v the bodies and taking ofl a gas bodies first individually mentioned.

wnmrm c. GARDINER. 

